Conventionally, job tickets are used to direct an imaging system to produce a designated number of documents in a designated format or style, such as, for example, simplex (single-sided) or duplex (double-sided), and/or with designated image processing procedures applied to the document. Accordingly, a document is created as specified in the job ticket attached to the document.
Setting the various parameters for each job ticket, however, is often a time-consuming task. FIG. 1, labeled as prior art, shows a conventional job ticket that includes only a subset of the various parameters that may be set to achieve a desired print product.
It is generally known that inputting individual job tickets for printers, copiers or imaging devices provides flexibility in page sequencing, copying and/or presentation as well as print type, format, etc. for each individual job submitted. The individual printing, copying or imaging parameters may be varied or manipulated by changing the parameters on any job ticket. The repeated entry of parameters and creation of individual job tickets are time-consuming and subject to wasteful error and inefficiencies.
Accordingly, a job ticket 105, as shown in FIG. 1, for example, can be created by an operator to individually select the parameters desired. The operator typically inputs, for example, the desired paper size, any desired reduction/enlargement percentage, which sides are to be imaged (simple or duplex), and/or one or more image quality parameters such as those shown in the basic parameter box 110. The values for the various implemented parameters can be input to the imaging system via any one of a keyboard, mouse or the touch screen display (not shown).
The operator's input of the values for various parameters, such as those identified in basic parameter box 110 of FIG. 1, is a time consuming task and is subject to operator error, particularly when the operator is unfamiliar with the job ticket process or when numerous different parameters are required to be input to produce the desired document or set of documents from the imaging system.
The concurrent reprinting of multiple documents presents unique challenges if said documents also include unique job ticketing. It is likely that the user wants to review potentially outdated stored job settings before printing jobs. Currently, a user has to review job ticket settings one job at a time when concurrently submitting multiple jobs to print. The process can become tiresome and error prone if the user is printing a large number of jobs.
Therefore, a need exists for a method for proposing a series of enhancements to address the deficiencies in multiple job submission and for presenting aggregated job ticket settings that represent the totality of job ticket variability in the collection of jobs the user intends to reprint. Furthermore, the method should allow filtering and other data manipulation on the collection of jobs.